


Acting Up

by arianapeterson19



Series: Avengers Shorts [49]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers Family, Avengers Tower, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Avengers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Tony, Insecure Tony Stark, M/M, Protective Avengers, Protective Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Protective Phil Coulson, Sassy Jarvis, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 18:02:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7064305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arianapeterson19/pseuds/arianapeterson19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark is nothing like they thought he would be. They thought living with Tony would be like one great big, acid trip of an adventure. But it was surprisingly not.</p><p>OR</p><p>The one where the Avengers give Tony a hard time for being subdued and then find out why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Acting Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [avienexjel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avienexjel/gifts).



> This was a request. I like requests.
> 
> Always,  
> Ari

They had thought that living with Tony Stark would be one crazy adventure after another. He would bring a string of dates through the common area, wild parties and galas every other weekend, loud music and strange food ordered from insanely expensive restaurants, all of the above. But it wasn’t like that at all. 

Tony was nearly silent after the Battle of New York when the Avengers moved in. They attributed it to him being busy rebuilding the top part of his tower as well as half of New York and running Stark Industries at the same time. When the tower was completed, however, it didn’t change. Tony – when he ate – would make himself eggs. He rarely ordered out, he avoided galas as much as possible, and he hadn’t brought home a single date as far as the others could tell. When he was in the common area, he was quiet, often staring off into space, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. 

They teased him for it, for being so melancholy when he showed the world this energetic persona. They joked and poked fun trying to garner some response but their efforts went unrewarded. If anything, they seemed to upset Tony more.

“But what does a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist have to be upset about?” laughed Clint once to said genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.

Tony hadn’t been seen for two weeks after that.

It wasn’t until the day Phil Coulson arrived at the Tower that they understood what had been wrong.

The Avengers had been shocked to see their handler in the common area, alive. There was much shouting and laughing and maybe a few tears but no one mentioned those. By the time Tony had arrived up from his lab, everyone had settled somewhat and were asking Phil questions.

“Nope,” said Tony, catching sight of Phil and promptly turning around and going to his room.

Phil sighed and excused himself, leaving the rest of the Avengers in the living room, baffled.

“Well,” said Clint when Phil disappeared after Tony. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m finding out what that was all about.”

“Right behind you,” said Natasha.

Collectively they rushed to the door and pried it open the tiniest bit, huddling around the gap like children. In the room, Tony and Phil were sitting on the ground.

“You don’t understand,” sobbed Tony, clutching Phil desperately, the agent holding him back just as tightly. “They kept asking and making fun of me, saying I was a fraud for how I was before New York and then being sad after. And I couldn’t tell them because they didn’t know about us. And Fury made me swear. And you were gone and it just hurt so much.”

“I can’t even imagine how hard this has been on you, baby,” said Phil softly, in a tender tone that no one – including Clint and Natasha – had ever heard him use before. “But I’m here now. You’re okay, I’m okay. It doesn’t matter what they think. If you want, I’ll send them all back to live at SHIELD. Do you want that?”

“No,” whispered Tony. “They didn’t know. It wasn’t their fault.”

“Okay,” said Phil. 

“But can we just, just stay here? Just the two of us? I don’t want to see them again tonight.”

“Tony –“

“I know they have questions for you but I want to be selfish right now and not share. Make something up in the morning about me needing a debrief and being obnoxious or something. Please.”

“I was just going to ask if you wanted JARVIS to order our favorite,” said Phil with a smile. “If you want it to be just the two of us, then that’s what it will be. You’ve more than earned it.”

The Avengers crept away from the door and back to the living room.

“Well shit,” said Clint. “We really fucked that up, didn’t we?”

“How were we supposed to know that Tony had lost Coulson?” demanded Natasha.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Steve. “We have to make this up to him.”

“I have a feeling Coulson is going to have our asses for how we treated Tony,” said Clint grimly.

“We deserve it,” said Bruce. “JARVIS?”

“Yes Dr. Banner?” replied JARVIS in his crisp tone.

“How do you suggest we go about making this up to Tony?”

“Sir’s favorite foods are Chinese and Italian. I would suggest supplying meals for him when he is working in the lab and forgets himself. It would also be good to make an effort to include him in time outside of battles. Join him at galas. Also, apologizing wouldn’t go awry.”

It was as close to scolding as any of them had ever heard the AI and they all felt particularly low for being told off by a computer. They hadn’t meant to hurt Tony but clearly their words had cut deeper than intended; it was difficult to remember that the genius was, in fact, human.

When Phil and Tony emerged the next morning, they found the common area empty, breakfast on the table, and four notes.

“Tony-  
I’m sorry for not sticking up for you. I knew what the others were saying was upsetting you but I never tried to stop it. After all you’ve done for me and the Other Guy, I should have been willing to step up for you, but I wasn’t and I’m sorry. I’ll try to do better in the future.   
I’m glad you have Phil back. I didn’t realize you were an item but it makes sense now. (Also, sorry for listening at the door last night when you and Phil reunited. That was childish.)  
-Bruce”

Tony silently handed the letter over to Phil to read.

“Stark and Coulson-  
I am heading to SHIELD to amend my evaluation of Iron Man. It will now read ‘Iron Man recommended, Tony Stark essential’. I misjudged you, Stark.  
-Natasha”

“I think that’s as close to an apology as Natasha has ever gotten,” said Phil.

“Agent Coulson and Tony-  
We – Natasha, Clint, Bruce, and myself – are heading to SHIELD for the next two weeks. I think you two deserve some time alone. If you want us to move out permanently, I understand, just send a message and we will. We deserve it after how we treated you. You’re a better man than me, Tony, so suffer a loss so close and still open your home to people who treated you poorly.  
-Steve Rogers”

“Are you going to let them move back in?” asked Phil, wrapping his arms around Tony’s waist and resting his chin on the slightly younger man’s shoulder.

“Captain America just called me a better man then him,” said Tony in disbelief. “If I kicked them out now he’d have to take that back and this is just too perfect to not use as blackmail.”

Phil chuckled and placed a kiss on the side of Tony’s head.

“Tony and Phil-  
Phil, please don’t kill me for being an asshole to your man. Tony, sorry I was an asshole, please don’t let Phil kill me.  
-Clint”

**Author's Note:**

> I like to fill requests when I don't have enough time to dedicate to writing a new chapter for one of my ongoing stories.
> 
> Always,  
> Ari


End file.
